Spin textures of strongly correlated spin Hall quantum dots

We study the spin ordering of a quantum dot defined via magnetic barriers in an interacting quantum spin Hall edge. The spin-resolved density-density correlation functions are computed. We show that strong electron interactions induce a ground state with a highly correlated spin pattern. The crossover from the liquid-type correlations at weak interactions to the ground state spin texture found at strong interactions parallels the formation of a one-dimensional Wigner molecule in an ordinary strongly interacting quantum dot. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.